Alduin (Skyrim)
|refid = |sound = Npc dragon flightroar 01.ogg }} Alduin (Dragon Language: ), the World Eater, also considered an alternative name of Akatosh by some of Tamriel, is a dragon and the primary antagonist of 's Main Quest. He is considered the "wellspring" of the Nordic pantheon, as well as the harbinger of the apocalypse. He is also described as the "creator of dragon civilization" in one particular text.Shalidor's Insights Interactions Unbound During the executions, Alduin will be flying above Helgen, and his roars can be faintly heard. Once the Last Dragonborn is placed on the chopping block, he will land on top of the tower above and use the roar that summons a storm raining meteors down from the sky to cause havoc and destruction in the settlement. During the Dragonborn's escape from the village and into Helgen Keep, he will be seen fighting a number of Imperial soldiers, and may land and attack the Dragonborn in front of the keep if the Dragonborn does not escape quickly enough. Once the keep is escaped through the cave, he will be seen flying above, and will fly away to the east. A Blade in the Dark The Last Dragonborn and Delphine both travel to Kynesgrove during this quest. Here is where Delphine has predicted that the next Dragon will be resurrected. It turns out Delphine is right and here, on a dragon burial mound, Alduin can be seen flying above. A blue light is rising out of the mound. Alduin will use a shout to resurrect this dragon. He speaks the words "Slen Tiid Vok!" and a shout that looks similar to Unrelenting Force will go into the mound, causing the stone lid to crumble and burst apart. A skeletal dragon will then rise from the mound and start speaking to Alduin. After a small conversation between the two dragons, the skeletal dragon will regain his scales. This dragon is known as Sahloknir. They will then notice the Dragonborn, at which point Alduin taunts the Dragonborn on their lack of knowledge of the Thu'um, before ordering Sahloknir to kill both the Dragonborn and Delphine before taking his leave. Alduin's Bane In the vision of the past seen through the Time Wound, three heroes known as Felldir the Old, Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, and Hakon One-Eye are seen fighting off the dragons. Gormlaith will kill a dragon whom lands by jumping on to it and then stabbing it in the head. Afterwards the heroes will discuss the possible use of an Elder Scroll to defeat Alduin, but Hakon says it is to dangerous. Alduin will come down to fight them and then the three heroes will use Dragonrend to bring down Alduin. Alduin will then engage in combat with the three heroes. Gormlaith will be killed by Alduin and then Hakon will tell Felldir to use the Elder Scroll. Alduin will continue to fight Hakon for a short time before noticing what Felldir is doing. Alduin will turn to Felldir and try burning him with Fire Breath, but this does not work and Alduin is sent forward in time. Upon awaking from the vision, Paarthurnax will say that he hopes the vision told the Dragonborn what he needed to know because Alduin has arrived. Alduin taunts the Dragonborn that their time is up and once he kills them, their soul will feed his hunger in the afterlife, only for Paarthurnax to retort that he is too late. The two brothers exchange words as they engage in battle in the skies. Alduin will start the battle by roaring and summoning a storm that rains meteors down from the sky. The only way to damage Alduin is to use the Dragonrend shout. Upon Alduin's defeat, Alduin will fly away to Sovngarde. Sovngarde Upon entering Sovngarde, Alduin can be seen flying around in the back. He will occasionally swoop down to pick up a soul in Sovngarde. The Dragonborn must travel through the mist that Alduin has set up until they reach the Hall of Shor. Here the three heroes will again come out to fight Alduin, although this time they have the Dragonborn to help them win. Before the battle can begin, the Dragonborn and the three heroes must disperse the mist that covers the land. They use Clear Skies to get rid of the mist, but Alduin will make the mist reappear. This process must be repeated a few times before finally Alduin will come out and battle. After killing Alduin, the Dragonborn will not absorb his soul. Instead, Alduin explodes after yelling words in the dragon language that, when translated, indicate his defiant refusal to believe he can truly be slain. Background Identity Scholars speculate that Alduin is the Nordic name attributed to Akatosh.Varieties of Faith in the EmpireThe Alduin/Akatosh Dichotomy One source states that Alduin and Akatosh are different deities entirely.Alduin is Real Alduin calls himself the "First-Born of Akatosh!""Alduin's Bane" – Dialogue with Alduin Exactly what the "First-Born of Akatosh" means is unclear, although some sources suggest he was split from Akatosh at some point in the past.Seven Fights of the Aldudagga According to Paarthurnax, Alduin's peers considered him the most acclaimed creation of Akatosh. - Dialogue with Paarthurnax History Nordic myth asserts that Alduin destroyed the last world to begin this one, known as a Kalpa. As a result, he is both creator and destroyer, as well as predating the creation of Nirn itself. There are legends of his battles with Shor during this time.Five Songs of King Wulfharth During the Merethic Era, the people of Atmora and Skyrim worshiped dragons, possibly at the urging of Alduin. He also conspired with Orkey to reduce all the Nords to children, until he was again defeated by Shor. Some consider that Alduin's rule during this period was foresaking his proper role as the World-Eater. Alduin served as a leader of the dragons, and he ruled with an iron fist. The humans either worshiped him or were enslaved.Atlas of Dragons The humans worshiped him and the dragons in the Dragon Cult. High ranking members of this cult would be known as a Dragon Priest. Alduin's lieutenant at the time was Paarthurnax, but secretly Paarthurnax was betraying him. Paarthurnax was teaching the voice to the humans so that they could rebel against their dragon overlords. The ensuing war would be known as the Dragon War. He was ultimately sent forward in time through the actions of three Nordic heroes, who created a new Shout to subdue him, and used an Elder Scroll to send Alduin forward in time.Events of Prophecy ing Fire Breath.]] A prophecy foretelling Alduin's return is on Alduin's Wall, located at Sky Haven Temple, built in the First Era and recounted in the Book of the Dragonborn, and possibly on Elder Scroll.Annals of the Dragonguard — Brother AnnulusBook of the Dragonborn — Prior Emelene Madrine It tells that the World-Eater will return after various tumultuous events have occurred, retelling events have led up to this point, and claiming that the Last Dragonborn will come forth at that time. Conversations Dragon Language quotes Gallery Concept art Alduin Attack.jpg|Concept art of Alduin attacking with a shout. Alduin Comparison.jpg|Concept art of Alduin's body compared to that of a regular Dragon Alduin Body.jpg|Alduin concept art Alduin Top View.jpg|Concept art of Alduin's in-game model Alduin Head.jpg|Alduin's head concept art Screenshots Alduin Helgen 4.png|Alduin hovering around Helgen. Alduin Helgen 3.png|Destroying Helgen. Alduin Helgen 2.png|Alduin against a wall. Alduin Helgen 1.png|Alduin vs. Archer. Unbound.png|Alduin on top of a fort in Helgen. Alduin 1.png|Close up view of Alduin. AlduinSovngarde.png|Alduin at Sovngarde Trivia *The name "Alduin" translates to "Destroy-Devour-Master." Suggesting his role: Destroy the mortal realm, then devour it whole and finally master it. *Alduin is voiced by Daniel Riordan. *Alduin is the only main antagonist in the Elder Scrolls that appears in the very beginning of the story. *He (indirectly and ironically) saves the life of the Dragonborn at Helgen. *When defeated in Sovngarde, unlike other Dragons, Alduin's soul cannot be absorbed. When Arngeir is questioned about the anomaly, he theorizes that Alduin is not permanently dead and will eventually return to fulfill the prophecy of the Elder Scrolls. **Alduin's body dissolves completely upon death and does not leave a skeleton, unlike other dragons. *He can be seen near any of the burial mounds of Dragons just before they're resurrected. Also, he may mention the dragon's name. *Alduin only refers to the Dovahkiin by name when he attacks Helgen and immediately after the "Alduin's Bane" quest. *Alduin is possibly inspired or a reference to the Dragon called Níðhöggur (pronounced Neeth-Hökk-uhr) in Norse Mythology. Níðhöggur was a dragon in Niflheim near Hel, he did almost nothing but feasting on the dead, biting the roots of the tree Yggdrasil and killing for his own amusement. Níðhöggur was a symbol of death and destruction, much like Alduin. *When using the Dragonrend shout, Alduin may say, "You may have picked up the weapons of my ancient foes, but you are not their equal!" *Killcams in the game do not activate for Alduin as they would for any other dragons. Bugs * During the initial Helgen attack, when the player climbs up the stairs of the tower, Alduin will sometimes sit on the side of the tower without reaction instead of breathing fire through the gap. This can be fixed by reloading the game. * Occasionally during the quest "Alduin's Bane," when fighting Alduin at the Throat of the World he may be completely invincible to all attacks. This can be fixed by reloading to a previous save. **This bug may be avoided by not directly attacking Alduin prior to him becoming hostile. Appearances * * ** * Dragon Skull Parchment * de:Alduin (Skyrim) es:Alduin (Skyrim) fr:Alduin it:Alduin nl:Alduin pl:Alduin (Skyrim) ru:Алдуин (Skyrim) uk:Алдуїн (Skyrim) Category:Skyrim: Dragons Category:Skyrim: Named Dragons Category:Skyrim: Characters